Need to Raise Water Level in Toilet Bowl? Follow This Guide

Your toilet is probably the most important part of your home’s sanitation system, and it pays to know how to perform basic maintenance and repairs, even if they are temporary solutions. There is a lot to cover, and this article is only going to focus on raising the water level in the toilet bowl. This is important because if the water level is too low, then your toilet might not flush properly, and a toilet bowl with a high water-level will end up wasting water and potentially cause overflows. Your friends at Neighborhood Plumbing are always ready to help in-person, so feel free to call us any time you need. That said, let’s carry on with adjusting the water level in the toilet bowl.

Why the Toilet Bowl’s Water Level Matters

The toilet bowl’s water level has a big affect on the quality of the toilet flush. If that water level is too low, there might not be enough water to flush down the waste in the toilet lead. This can end up causing clogs, damaged drains, and even water or sewage backups. Yuck!
What if the water level is too high? Too much of anything is a bad thing. If the water level in the toilet bowl is too high, you will end up wasting water and the toilet bowl can get close to overflowing and might even overflow when you flush. Again, Yuck!

Adjusting the Water Level

The toilet’s water level is not controlled by the water supply lines. Well, of course the water supply lines will indirectly affect the water level, but it is the float that more directly determines the water level in the toilet bowl. To adjust the water level, you will have to play with the floats, which come in one of two types: the ball-and-arm float and the cylinder float.

Ball-and-Arm Float

Carefully remove the toilet tank’s ceramic lid and place it on a flat, secure surface. Now, take a look inside and you should find a plastic ball attached to a long arm. Note the water level – it should be one or two inches below the fill valve and overflow tube. If it is off of that range, then let’s adjust.

Turn off the water supply to the toilet by turning the valve behind the toilet, then flush the toilet to empty the tank. Inspect the ball-and-arm float for damages. Damaged components should be replaced. Using a screwdriver, adjust the screw on top of the fill valve to lift or lower the float to the appropriate level.

Cylinder Float

Follow the same steps as the previous section to access and empty the toilet tank. You should notice a long, slender tube that connects to the fill valve. This is the adjustment stem. At the point where the float connects to the stem, you should see a release clip. Pinch the release clip to raise or lower the float to the appropriate level. Some models have a screw similar to the ball-and-arm float’s. Adjust the water level.

Have Questions?

Would you rather leave this to a trained plumber? Call Neighborhood Plumbing to speak with a dedicated plumber. We can have a plumber dispatched to your location in as soon as within the hour.